On Saturday 3 October 1936, four young men set off to walk from Govetts Leap at Blackheath to Richmond via the Grose Valley.
[5] Later that day, one of the lagging men, fatigued and out of food, could walk no further and decided to stay in a cave whilst the other would speed up and catch up with leading pair.
[5] On the sixth day this man caught up to the leading pair but after encountering thick scrub and not having eaten for 30 hours one of the three men could not continue and camped in a cave whilst the remaining two pressed on.
NSW Police agreed that a more organised and coordinated response to missing persons in the bush was needed using people with specialised knowledge and skills.
By 2000, changing times prompted the subcommittee to form into an incorporated entity, with more highly trained membership (requiring specialist skills to effectively work with other search agencies).
HF radio does not require line of sight between the search team and Command Post and has proven more reliable than satellite phones in the BSAR operating environment.
[9] The RPAS significantly reduced search time of cliff areas and decreased human risk exposure.
However, since leaving the VRA and joining the NSW State Emergency Service, drone use is currently on hold pending SES policy.
Every year the NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue Unit organises and runs the Australian Emergency Services Wilderness Navigation Shield or NavShield event.
[10] Participants test their bush and compass navigation abilities in an overnight event through 100 km2 of wilderness terrain a few hours drive from Sydney, Australia.
Field members are required to have map and compass back country navigation skills and adequate multi-day off-track bushwalking experience prior to joining BSAR.
The onus is on the member to bring with him/her solid bush skills so BSAR can focus on search and rescue training.